The invention relates to a packing bag made from a film tube cut to length and open-ended for filling purposes. The open end is provided with at least one removable film element having at least one wicket perforation. Such a bag can be made of paper or plastic film.
As disclosed, for example, in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,251, such a film bag can be stacked on a wicket and can be unfolded during the filling process. For this purpose, a wicket perforation and a corresponding cutout are punched in the paper or plastic film web at regular intervals and at the same levels before it is folded. The position of a cutout to the adjacent wicket perforations, which are at the same level, are selected so that the film tube cutout is situated above the wicket perforations which are thus exposed. After filling the packing bag the wicket area and the overhanging film tube are cut away in a cut-weld operational step.
The term "film tube", as used herein is to be understood to mean an originally tube-like extruded double web as well as the one with the margins joined to form such a double web.
The known packing bag described above has the disadvantage that a relatively large amount of waste packing material is developed. Although this material can be recycled, the wastage is significant.